The Texas Coffee School French Press How-To Guide | Coffee Education | Barista School

The Texas Coffee School French Press How-To Guide

Below you will learn the science, technique and best practices essential to making outstanding French Press coffee. If you want to learn more about coffee extraction and gain an in-depth understanding of every primary coffee brewing method, check out our Coffee Education Program for a complete list of upcoming coffee classes and barista training workshops.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

• Hot water (198 to 205 Degrees F)
• A high-quality burr grinder
• A French Press
• A digital kitchen scale
• A digital timer

• Either a spoon, spatula or whisk for stirring

(Optional) An electric water boiling kettle. (This is the best one for the money!)

THE FRENCH PRESS
Classic, elegant, versatile and simple. The French Press offers on-demand, low-waste coffee brewing and is a time-honored favorite home brewing method. There are a lot of fancy coffee brewing methods available these days, but when it comes to being tried-and-true, it's still hard to beat a good old French press.

BREWING PARAMETERS

Coffee-to-Water Ratio:

French Press: 1.6 - 2.0 grams of coffee per fluid ounce of water

If you don't have a scale, use 2 table spoons of coffee per 6 fluid ounces of water.

Grind Size:

French Press: Comparable to coarsely cracked pepper

Brew Time:

French Press: 4 minutes

Brewing Water Temperature:

French Press: 195 - 205 Degrees F

STEPS FOR BREWING

1. Using the guide above, weigh and properly grind the coffee, and place grounds directly into the French press. Place the French press on your digital scale and push the "tare" button to zero it out.

2. While simultaneously starting your timer, with a gentle pour, saturate the grounds, allowing the coffee to “bloom.” Try to add only enough water to saturate the grounds, or until press is half full.

3. Using your preferred utensil, gently stir the coffee, trying to agitate and equally disperse the crust that appears after the coffee blooms.

4. Carefully pour until your digital scale reads the appropriate water weight you determined for your correct coffee-to-water ratio.

5. Now fix the lid/plunger to the French press without pushing the plunger down into the coffee. (This will help a little with temperature stability.)

6. After 4 minutes have elapsed, press plunger down gently yet firmly, and serve immediately.

GOOD PRACTICES

Adjust parameters to compensate for individual coffee characteristics. For example if you find the coffee too bitter, coarsen the grind to help ease extraction. Note that such changes require increasing the coffee-to water ratio to balance the concentration.

Small changes in technique can result in big flavor changes, so be sure to use consistent pouring, timing, and stirring techniques.

As a general rule, darker roasts work well with cooler water and lighter roasts with hotter water.

Too long of a brew time can lead to over extraction; too short can lead to under extraction. Use time as a tool to fine tune a brew.

Keep your French Press clean by thoroughly rinsing after each use and occasionally using a cleaner recommended for coffee pots. We recommend Urnex Tabz or other applicable Urnex products.

Water Quality – Use clean water free of any off tastes or odors. Water quality differs from region to region, so a water quality test should be taken to discern the appropriate treatment required. If you are home brewing, a Brita pitcher will work just fine. Do NOT use bottled water. It tends to be "too filtered" and there are not enough TDS in the water for "the good coffee flavors to attach to". If this water is used the coffee can taste quite bitter and undesirable.

CONTINUING EDUCATION

Texas Coffee School offers a variety of coffee and barista training classes that can enhance your coffee knowledge and brewing skills. CLICK HERE for classes and enrollment details.

Texas Coffee School
Through our coffee education program we aim to cultivate quality-oriented “coffee people" that share in our passion for exceptional coffee and the craft of making it. We offer individual barista training classes for the casual home enthusiast all the way up to professional multi-day barista training and coffee business workshops for those looking to open a coffee business. Click on any class below for more information.